Mica-sorting machine



' June 3, 1930. T, FREDERICK 1,761,113

" MICA soBTING MACHINE Fild Feb. 25, 1927 1"' ou/.5 7.' FREDER/CK Patented June 3, 1930 UNITED STATES-PATENT OFFICE LOUIS T. FREDERICK, F VALPARAISO,v INDIANA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO CHICAGO MICA COMPANY, 0F VALPARAISO, INDIANA, CORPORATION OF INDI- m ANA MICA-SORTING MACHINE Application ledFebruary 23, 1927. Serial No. 170,203.

My invention relates to a method and apparatusfor sorting mica laminas, and particularly for sorting thelight Hakes from the heavier Hakes so that the former may be collected and used for the manufacture of mica plate and other commodities. 4ject of my present invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus for sorting mica Hakes by means of a combined tumbling and blowing operation.V Other objects of my invention reside in providing a device wherein the intermiXed light and heavier mica Hakes and air blast are introduced into one end of an inclined mica lifting drum, and preferably in a tangential `manner, so that the desirable light mica laminas will be more effectively separated from the heavier flakes, the lighter flakesA being blown out of the opposite end of thel tumbling` drum and the heavier Hakes gravi- 'tating toward and being discharged from the inlet end; Vto 'provide a sorting apparatus having a drum rotatable in inclined position and formed with conical walls forming a restricted outlet which not only more effectively permit the lighter Hakes to be blown therethrough, but also, by reason of the'inclination of the conical walls, prevent the heavier Hakes from being blown through this outlet and thereby permit them to gravitate rearwardly through the tumbling barl rel for collection; to provide a more improved manner of introducing the mlca laminae and air blast into the tumbling barrel, and to provide an improved construction for separating the dust from the lighter Hakes at the discharge end of the tumbling drum.

I obtain these objects by the apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in

whichi Figure 1 is an elevation of the apparatus with certain parts in section.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Fig-t Y Hakes substantially all ofthe light` Hakes ure 1.

Like numerals denote like parts throughout the several views.A

In the particular embodiment of my invention illustrated I .provide a support composed of upstanding members, .the forward The ob-` lmember 10 being higher than the rear member 12 so that the tumbling drum or barrel 14 will be supported in inclined position. These upstanding members are provided on their upper portions with friction rollers 16 which-have inwardly convergingsides or are formed with centrally disposed circumferential slots 18 adapted to receive a circumferential outstanding Hange or web 20 on each end of the drum. The peripheral faces of the friction rolls on each side of the slotk roll on and frictionlessly support the rotatable drum.` Intermediate the webs 20 the A outer face 'of the drum is formed with a circumferentialband 22 adapted to receive the belt 24CV connected to 'the power pulle 26. This belt is held tight by the belt tightening device 28 asis well known. In this manner the power rotates the inclined tumbling barrel. The drum is'provided .with a plurality Vof baflies 30, the same being Hxed to the inner walls of the drumand extending longitudinally from the lower inlet end to the upper discharge end. These baHles 4lift the intermiXed light and heavier mica laminae or Hakes as they are fed intothe lower end, carryk them upwardly and dump themA again downwardly as the drum rotates.'l My invention 'contemplates subjecting thev inter.-

mingled light and heavy Hakes as they. are

lifted upwardly and dumped from the top of the drum toa blastof air whereby the light,'ffalling Hakes will be blown longif' tudinally of the drum andjout through its discharge opening atv the opposite end and whereby the heavyflakes will fall down onto the drum and will gravitate rearwardly and -be discharged. This combined lifting and blowing of the Hakes has an ancillary tendencyy to separate loosened or incompletely separated light Hakes from the heavier Hakes so that asa result of the continuous lifting and dumping and blasting of the ing an extra opening in the end of the rotating drum but also permitting the mica laminations to receive a preliminary air blast treatment while passing through the air blast pipe. To carry this out I provide the inlet or lower end of the drum 14 with a stationary head 31 supported in any desirable manner, and provide this head with a substantially central opening through which. passes the combined mica-feed and air blast pipe 32. This pipe terminates in a nozzle extending in a direction so as to blow the mica laminations in a direction substantially tangentially of the drum, the end of the nozzle being arranged just at the lowermost end of the drum 14 so that the mica 'will travel the entire length of the drum Abefore passing through the opposite discharge end. In this manner the complete,

i effective length 'of the drum and of its baf- Hes is used for lifting the mica Hakes and for blowing the light Hakes through and out of the drum. The lowermost part of the head. 31 is provided with a cut-out portion 34 opposite the rotating inner wall of the drum so that the heavier mica laminae are discharged through this lower end into the receptacle 36 Vor to any other receiver, such as a traveling belt arranged to reconvey these unseparated portions back to a station for a further splitting treatment. The blast pipe 32 is formed with a damper or valve 38 and a connection to the blower 40, driven from a belt 42. And in addition the air blast pipe is formed with a branch pipe 44 having an open hopper 46 into which the mica is introduced from the splitting apparatus. In' this manner the Hakes will be blown by the blower through the air blast pipe 32 through the nozzle into the tumbling drum 14.

rlhe discharge end of the drum is of special construction.Y It is preferably provided with conical walls 48 forming a central re,- stricted outlet 50through which the lighter mica Hakes are blown. By the time the Hakes have travelled the length of the drum while being subjected to the combined tumbling and blowing operations, the desirable light flakes will be blown through the outlet 50. The conical. walls 48 aid in retarding the heavier Hakes from being blown out with the lighter ones and also serve to restrict Vthe outlet of the drum and thereby create a more positive air pressure at this end to insure the discharge of the lighter Hakes.

The lighter Hakes will be blown directly against the screen 52 `and will fall down into compartment 54 where they can he collected. The screen effectively blocks the.

passage of the Hakes and permits any dust to pass through it into compartment 56 where it can be removed through outlet 58, or can be' sucked through the` pipe 60 connecting to the inlet side of the blower.

I have found that a device constructed in accordance with the foregoing disclosure is very efficient, has a large capacity and ei'- Jects the separation of the mica in minimum time. The arrangement of the combined air blast inlet and mica inlet pipes is especially advantageous since it permits a construction with the minimum parts in the smallest available space. It also provides a preliminary blast for the mica pieces prior to their introduction into the drum so that ,anyrelatively loose or partly loosened lighter Hakes are completely separated from the heavier Hakes. So, also, the manner of introducing the mica tangentially into the drum where it is forced. directly against the rotating baffled wall of the drum assists materially in separating the desired lighter Hakes. In addition by regulating the blast through the blower pipe any degree of separation o1" sorting may be secured, and, further, by' regulating the speed of rotation of the lifting drum a further control of the sorting` operation may be ei`ected.

Attention is called to my copending applil cation Hled August 16, 1926, Serial No. 129,374.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine for sorting mica Hakes, an inclined drum, means for rotating the drum, a blower for blowing mica Hakes Vthrough the drum from the lower end, a

compartment into which the Hakes from the drum discharge are blown, a screen in said compartment for catching the Hakes and for passing the dust, and a suction pipe in said compartment in the rear of the screen, said pipe being connected to the inlet of the blower.

2. In a machine for sorting mica Hakes, a drum rotating on a horizontally inclined axis and means for blowing unsorted mica Hakes into the lower endl ot' the drum, said drum having longitudinal ribs formed internall'y thereof'whereby to lift and drop the mica Hakes introduced into the drum, said blowing means being adapted to discharge the lighter Hakes from the upper end of the. drum, a screen arranged in the path of said mica Hakes for catching the'Hakes and passing any dust which may be mixed therewith, and means for creating a suction to assist in drawing the dust through said screen. Y

3.. In a machine for sorting mica Hakes, an inclined drum, means for rotating said drum, means for blowing mica Hakes through the drum from its lower end and for discharging the lighter of said Hakes fromY the upper end of the drum, a screen arranged in the path of discharge of said lighter vHakes for catching the Hakes and passing the dust, and means for creating a suction through said screen.

4. In a machine for sorting mica Hakes, in combination, an inclined tumbling drum having a conical extension at its upper end, means for rotating the drum about its longitudinal axis, means for blowing unsorted mica Hakes into the lower end of the drum and against a lateral wall thereof, said blowing means being capable of discharging the lighter Hakes through the conical eX- tension at the upper end thereof, and being incapable of so discharging the heavier Hakes, means permitting the heavier flakes to gravitate from the lower end of the drum, a screen arranged infront of the upper open end of the drum for retaining the Hakes discharged from the upper end of the drum while permitting the passage of dust with which thevdischarged flakes mayV be mixed. f

like material into grades of predetermined thickness, a drum rotating on an inclined axis, an air blast for blowing unsorted thick and thin flakes into the lower end of the rotating drum, said air blast being regulated to carry the flakes of a desired thinness out through the upper end of the drum, while the thicker Hakes remain in the drum and gravitate to the lower end thereof against the force of the airblast because of the rotation of the drum. f

6. In a machine for separating relatively thin Hake like material into grade having a desired thickness, an elongated drum open at both ends and mounted for rotation on an inclined axis, means for rotating the drum, means for blowing unsorted Haked material of various thicknesses into the drum, said blowing means being regulated so as to carry the thinner Hakes, having a desired weight per unit of area, out through the upper end of the drum, while permitting the thicker Hakes having more than the desired weight per unit of area to remain in the drum, whereby the rotation thereof will cause said thicker Hakes to gravitate gradually to the lower end thereof, said drum being provided with internal projections whereby the Hakes will be tumbled about therein and subjected repeatedly to the action of the blowing means in order that all of the Hakes of a predetermined thinness may be separated.

7. In a machine for separating relatively thin Hake like material into grades having a desired thickness, an elongated drum open at both ends and mounted for rotation on an inclined axis, means for rotating the drum, means for blowing unsorted flaked material of various thicknesses into the drum, said blowing means being regulated so as to carry the thinner Hakes, having a desired weight per unit of' area, out through the upper end of the drum, while permitting the thicker Hakes having more than the desired weight per unit of area to remain in the drum, whereby the rotation thereof will LoUIs T. FREDERICK. 

